


Don't Fear Tomorrow

by OshindiJo



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: (they do), Angst, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Link just wants her to be safe and warm, Pre-Canon, Psychic Bond, Selectively Mute Link, Smut, They care about eachother so much, Zelda is very stubborn, but goddamn, do they have anxiety, pre-game, psychic link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 12:51:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OshindiJo/pseuds/OshindiJo
Summary: "She once passed out in the freezing waters, trying to access the sealing powers."It is the night of her eighteenth birthday, the day before the Calamity rises, and Zelda's desperation to reach the Goddess drives her to push herself to painful lengths. Link, every faithful knight, is less than thrilled.After that it's just a matter of staying warm.





	Don't Fear Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This is my first smut fic and I hope you like it :) Link is mute but psychic because it's easier when he's talkative and psychic bonds are h o t. 
> 
> Link and Zelda have been aged up by two years for this fic. Personal preference, I don't like them being underage. 
> 
> If you want to chat please drop on by my Tumblr, goddesschosen.tumblr.com
> 
> Enjoy!

“Turn around.” Her voice was a command, not a suggestion, and Link obeyed instantly even though his gut told him it was a bad idea. “I don’t need to be watched.”

It was evening, and Link held a hand over his eyes to shield his face from the gently falling snow. On the one hand, he wanted to give her the privacy she was asking for. She was the one who had to pray to the Goddess, she was the one who might get rejected. On the other hand, every nerve in his body was screaming that he needed to keep his eyes on Zelda. The journey up through the snow hadn’t exactly been easy, and now she was standing in that freezing water… but it was her decision to make. He was here (in a way, he existed) for one reason only. Protect the princess. He reached out with his mind, checking to see that she was there. Her presence was always golden, soft and filling his mind with a grounding reassurance. He took care not to read her thoughts, but he couldn’t help but sense the jumbled confusion of her emotions. Thoughts over lapsed like flowing water in her mind. **_She won’t be here (shut up!) please be here (the water is so cold-)_** the flood of her thoughts was cut by the sound of her voice, throat clearing. After a long pause, she spoke.

“Goddess…?” Link stood as still as he dared, straining to catch ever quiet word. Sympathy swirled in his gut, and he struggled to remember warm things, in hopes she was also reading his thoughts. He let sensations wash over him, crackling fire, the heat of death mountain. “Goddess, it is your humble servant, Zelda. I offer my prayer in your sacred place, to show my dedication.” He could sense her emotions curl and change, feelings of shame and anger at herself, and felt frustration burn in his own gut. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that it wasn’t any of his business, he was always hurt by her lack of belief in herself. He heard a small splash as if she’d stumbled, and struggled harder to remain facing away. Pulling his mind back as best he could, Link felt it brush against her mental defenses but couldn’t prevent himself from at least presenting a warm attitude of **_I’m here if you need me to be._ ** “Please… goddess, are you here?”

There was a terror growing in Zelda’s mind, and Link could feel it spilling over her defenses. After debating it back and forth a few moments longer, he decided to reach out to her. Just in case. **_…Princess? Should I-_ **

**_No!_** Her thoughts cut across him, a clear response. **_I can do this… I_** ** _can_** ** _…_** “Please?” She continued aloud. “I am… trying to save my people, please, tell me what I must do…” Link exhaled, looking hard at the sky and cold breath puffing from his lips. She told him not to look. He would not look. He would not look. “Is this a test?” Her voice was almost a whimper. “I will pass it!” Stark terror was filtering from her mind to his now. She doubted the words coming from her own mouth. His thoughts spun, the Goddess would not- surely, she would not-

 ** _I cannot let this harm you (that is my Responsibility) let me-_** he fought against himself not to move, not to pull her out of that snowmelt pool and stoke the fire back at the cave he’d built their campsite in. Anything to get her warm.

 ** _I have to! My people (father) need me-_** she whimpered aloud, “Goddess? What, what do I have to do? Please, I’ll do it!”

 ** _All the more reason not to risk this- the King pushes you (as he pushes me)-_** Link could feel his frustration coming across their mental bond but he couldn’t hold it back. Not entirely.

 ** _I… have to do this._** Her mind shook, pain lacing through it like fragmenting across the surface of a sheet of glass. It made him want to scream.

**_SPLASH._ **

Now Link turned, eyes wide and inhaling sharply, just in enough time to see the form of the princess vanishing under the water. He sloshed in without hesitation, fear clawing at his throat like a savage animal. **_Mipha, Goddess, give me strength_ ** _._ He prayed as he searched frantically. After a moment of terrifying nothing he felt his hands catch her waist, wrapped tight and pulled hard. She wasn’t moving, not even shaking. Her head lolled against his shoulder lightly.

Panic surged through him as he sloshed to shore, laying her down, feeling for a pulse while gasping and shuddering. There! There was a pulse. Zelda shifted slightly but did not wake up, so cold it made his arms ache. Link tried to think through the fog of panic in his brain, tossing her over his shoulder and stomping through the snow. He scrambled down the side of the slope to the little cave where their horses were tied. The fire had mostly gone out, but he tossed a few logs onto it, laying her down next to it and wrapping her with both sets of blankets. She curled into them with the very faintest whimper. Distress pounded at his chest, and he took her face in his hands. Goddess, her lips were so blue…

Her eyes blinked open, totally unfocused. Even like this, he couldn’t help but feel a stab in his gut at seeing how emerald they were. **_L…ink…?_**

A wave of relief flooded him, so strong he knew she had to be able to feel it. **_Princess. I am here._**

 **_You are… so warm…_ ** Her damp head pressed against his shoulder, teeth starting to chatter slightly. Her eyes closed again, but this time they squeezed shut tightly. One of her hands pressed to the outside of his shirt, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth at the icy sensation. He struggled to remember more warm things: weighty quilts, raging fire, summer winds- after a moment he felt a slight response. Zelda’s mind was unfocused but gave off a desperate need, and pleasure from the warm thoughts. Good, it was working. He shifted to pull her into his lap, adjusting the blankets pressing her head under his chin.

**_Please… warm… (do not let go.)_ **

**_I won’t. Never. (_ ** **_Never._ ** **_)_ **

**_You… would not, would you…_** a sensation of gratitude brushed against his thoughts as he held her head in place, drying her long hair with the edge of one of the blankets. He tried to reel in his enthusiasm to a slightly more appropriate level.

 ** _I wouldn’t._** She coughed weakly, and her hand gripped tighter on the outside of his shirt. The vague feelings of terror began to drift back into her mind. Link pressed her closer, his cheek to hers, and scooted her closer to the fire. **_Shh… we are safe._** He was assured of that truth and let the emotion resonate in her mind, eyes fixing on the Master Sword which lay close by. Her hands crawled along his chest seeking more warmth and slipped under his shirt to press against the heat of his core. His breath caught and he held very still, trying not to let her feel how sensitive her icy fingers made his stomach. He couldn’t keep his grip on her from tightening ever so slightly though. Her hands began to rub in very soft circles, looking for heat.

Link felt his breath restart, but shakier and unsure. He suddenly felt very decidedly that he didn’t know what to do with his hands, and fumbled them away for a moment before restarting a similar circular pattern on her shoulders and back. Her mind reflected peace, and a certain… reassurance, an undercurrent of safety in his presence that he felt sure she’d never have admitted to if she’d been just a little warmer and more clear headed. It put him at ease, and his ears drooped slightly with relief. **_We will travel down tomorrow, when you have rested. (When you are warm.)_ **

**_Tomorrow…_** she kept her eyes shut, but he felt her fear of the future wash over him in a slow wave. He laughed, low and huffy in his throat. Goddess but he related to that fear, and he let her see it. He tried to share other sensations with her too, to calm the fear. Idly spending time leaned against a tree by a riverbed, watching it ebb and flow with patterns. The buzz of cicadas and the musty smell of horses. Safety.

She relaxed more, both of her hands pressed flat to the skin of his chest under his shirt now and exploring, rubbing, tracing along his scars with a certain helpless fascination. **_I am grateful._** His heart jumped into his throat at her touch, fluttering in his chest. 

 **_I would not have left you there_ ** _._ His hands rubbed along her back, sliding to press flat against the skin. It was smooth as silk, growing slowly warmer. She was **_so_ ** beautiful, sometimes it was hard for him to keep himself from being distracted by it. She had never been this close to him, in his arms like this. Her fingers continued to search along the skin, her gratitude tinged with a warm sort of affection.

 **_I know._ **  

Humbled slightly by her certainty, he stilled to let her explore, wondering if she could feel his heart racing under her fingertips. She paused on one, a tooth mark. **_That one…_** he shared the memory of a moblin bite. Another she paused at, the memory of a practice spear that was carried a little too far. Her fingers found yet another, not bothering to restrain her curiosity. Her breath was warm against his neck, and it hitched his own again, as he struggled to keep down unbidden thoughts. The thought of kissing those beautiful lips, of her hands sliding to other places of his body- embarrassment drowned out the fantasy. **_That one, uh, I was thrown. From a horse._**

Her breath caught too, he could hear the pause in rhythm. Had she seen his thoughts? _T_ ** _he sword chose you…_** she said, slowly, **_because you are brave enough to get back on the horse._** A deeper thought of hers echoed through before she could prevent it. **_(Because you are the kind of person who cares for (a failure (me.)))_** There was a memory of hers now, tinged with gold. Her view of him, stepping between her and the Yiga clansmen at the Oasis. Embarrassment overwhelmed him again, along with a sense of being deeply humbled.

 **_I believe that you can do this. You are no failure. (Your tenacity-)_ ** He thought of her, stepping into the freezing waters of the Spring of Wisdom in nothing but the ceremonial gown- **_(Wait you idiot, she’s cold- why are you thinking of cold things-)_ ** Goddess, he’d messed this up, he was always messing up- she was so beautiful, so important, all he wanted to do was explain to her what he meant- 

Without thinking, to save face, Link leaned forward and clumsily took her chin in his hand, pressing his warm lips to her cold ones. 

Zelda’s eyes snapped open and then fluttered slowly closed, then she was kissing him back, deeply. He could feel her tangled emotions again: delight, excitement, nervous hesitation- at the hesitation he gasped, breaking the kiss. “No!” her voice echoed in the cave for a moment before she leaned forward and crushed her lips to his. Relief flooded him for the second time that evening, cupping her face with one hand and sliding the other into her hair, pulling her in closer. Her hands clenched into his shirt as she kissed him breathlessly, her own relief and a mingled curiosity and desire present in the back of his mind. He didn’t loosen his hold on her at all but pulled back so he could lean against the wall of the cave, trying to allow Zelda the option to leave, if she wanted. Her words rushed over each other in his mind. 

 ** _I don’t want to be- I want you to see me tonight (as Zelda (as a failure (as myself))) not as the princess-_** Link tangled his fingers into her hair, curious, feeling a twist of emotion about how soft it was.

 ** _What if I- I have wanted- to touch you- (to worship you-)_** he tried to reproach himself, he didn’t know if she wanted to be thought of as a goddess. How could he help it though, when she was the living embodiment of a goddess even before Hylia touched her?  She kissed him firmly, farther confusing the thoughts swirling in his head, but he tried to catch her eyes and convey his sincerity. He wanted, more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life, to take care of her the way he felt she deserved. **_Are you cold?_**

 ** _I am not as cold as before_** _._ She stared back into his eyes, a sensation of reckless fearlessness trickling from her mind to his. He used the thumb of the hand tangled into her hair to gently rub her scalp, and she whimpered and shifted against him. A sensitive spot. Oh Goddess he never wanted to do anything other than this, but he had to know. He let the unspoken question hand between them… was she sure? Did she want this? Did she want… him? **_Yes._** She whimpered again as his hands rubbed her scalp. **_Yes._**

He hesitated a moment, only a moment, then dipped his head to kiss her neck under the jawline, slow and warm, applying a gentle pressure to the back of her neck. She whined, her head falling to his shoulder and squirming slightly. The whine felt like a punch in his gut, making his body shudder with delight. He started to apply wet, patient kisses down the side of her neck, his thoughts an inferno. 

 **_Link…_ ** The princess arched, wriggling against him, her knees falling separating slightly under the damp white fabric of the ceremonial gown. Her eyes fluttered closed again. He used the hand on the back of her neck to shift the hair off one of her shoulders, freeing it for him to kiss at a faster pace. Goddess it was so soft. She whined again, rubbing her body back against his and tilting her neck to give him better access to her neck. He ran his hand along her outer thigh, fingers brushing over the damp fabric.

 ** _You would be warmer if you took-_** Links mind screeched to a halt, realizing what he was saying only after he’d begun to say it. **_If you… were out… of your dress._**

 ** _You are… correct._** Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, but he detected desire. And some embarrassment at her own desire. **_Can you help me?_** She shifted forwards to give him access to the back clasp. Oh. Oh she agreed. Well, then. His fingers fumbled with the clasp, heart crashing, but he managed to undo. He left the fabric in place for a moment, a hand on her back preserving her modesty. She arched forward slightly against the hand, and pressed the softest kiss to the side of his neck. Goddess was he really about to take a dress off of his princess? After a moment, he slid his hand down her back, this time letting go of the dress to do as it pleased. It pooled to her waist, exposing the pale skin of her back down to the dip where it met her hips, but the front rested on her breasts and didn’t fall. Her breath caught as she watched him, excited but clearly afraid of being disappointing. He moved to sooth her, his hand rubbing softly at her hip, flooding their link with memories of times he’d thought she was beautiful. The way the water tugged at the dress around her hips and the shift of fabric across her chest as she strung an arrow. The sound of her laughter.

 ** _You could not disappoint me._** He allowed her to feel his longing, now and in every memory he shared with her. She shifted to kiss him firmly, her hand coming to rest on his cheek. He leaned into the kiss, his unoccupied hand sliding up along the damp fabric of her side and cupping one of her breasts through the cloth, thumb rotating over it. Her lips parted softly against his, moaning, her hand sliding up to tangle into his hair and her mind a jumble of excited desire. Every noise she made wrecked him. He brought his fingers to join in the press, thumb rotating over her nipple. It was cold and hard, and the fabric of the gown was tantalizingly thin.

**_This was probably not the best clothing choice (probably ceremonial you should not question her/The Goddess)(but still-)_ **

She squeaked when he pinched her nipple, embarrassed and pleased. **_You did not seem to mind before, I saw you looking when we arrived._** A sense of satisfaction and pleasure accompanied these words, as if she was glad that he’d looked at her. Link felt embarrassment wash over him, rolling the nipple and pulling her in for a harder kiss so she couldn’t see his face.

 **_You are beautiful- breathtaking- I have wanted (so often (maybe I shouldn’t tell her how often))_ ** and now his memories were flooding through the both of them. Memories of her, in different dresses, not just the travel attire but lavish ball gowns. The memories had a different quality, Link realized he was sharing fantasies before he could stop them. Flashes of imagination. Himself, kneeling between Zelda’s knees to kiss an inner thigh under the many folds of a royal gown, reaching a hand out to touch her while she was bent over in a field, heavy kisses taking place in an alcove somewhere deep in the castle-

Zelda jerked softly with pleasure, her arousal crashing against him. Without warning, Link felt something new, her own fantasies returning to him. Link, warm and sweaty from combat, pinning her against the castle’s bricks and kissing her neck. Link rolling with her in the many folds and sheets of her canopied bed. She slid a hand down his leg and across his thigh, whimpering. He had not been expecting that at all, and felt almost at a loss for a moment. How long had she wanted him? How long had she wanted him as badly as he wanted her? Goddess, it felt so right to hold her tightly, so as it should be. He pressed her back, supporting her with the hand on the back of her head and scratching her scalp softly as he kissed her.

“Ahhhhh….” Zelda’s voice echoed softly in the still silence of the cave, shifting as her knees slid farther apart. Any scraps of remaining restraint in her mind that he could feel were dissolving quickly in the face of burning desire. Her hands tugged gently at his tunic, pulling it up so she could reach his chest. He sucked in a breath at her touch, it was still so cold, but he was thrilled now. His hand left her breast to roam downwards, brushing against the side of her hip and coming to a palmed rest against a thigh. His fingers curled tantalizingly along the inside while he mentally walked her through the steps for how to remove the leather straps of his tunic. She jolted at the touch on her thigh, knees spreading farther apart while she fumbled with the leather straps. The held, but not for long, springing free under her impatient fingers.

Link felt his head spin a little at the sight of her spread legs, but he struggled to be patient, intent on giving her the space to do what she wanted or back away if she chose to. His hand tightened along her thigh, a shudder of want against her mouth. After a moment the kiss broke, and Zelda spoke, her voice commanding but thick with desire.

“I want you to take this off.” She mumbled. His face colored with embracement at how fast he stripped himself out of the tunic, tossing it aside breathlessly before returning to look at her face with wide eyes. His immediate reward was the soft press of Zelda’s lips against his shoulder. “You are handsome…” She murmured, her thoughts continuing, **_just as I imagined._ ** Link felt his face color deeper- she had seen him before, had she not? Training exercises and the like. She met his eyes and shook her head. **_That was different. You were (forbidden (a distraction (not mine.)))_ ** He almost lost himself as she began to trail warm kisses along and down his shoulder.

 _I have always been yours-_ he echoed, automatic, but then realized even as he said it how complicated he was. Yes, he was devoted to her, all heroes were devoted to the goddess. The Triforce’s magic connected them. That wasn’t what he wanted to convey through. He struggled to separate his identity out, to express it to her apart from the other heros. _I (me) am-_ the rush of toxic, painful emotions in Zelda stopped him. At the mention of the Triforce she had shrunk back into herself, lips paused against him while her mind began to wall up defenses. Perhaps the Triforce would be a topic better avoided, he admonished himself. She seemed to agree, pushing herself closer and bringing her lips back to his. Not one to argue with that, Link cupped the back of her head and drew her tighter to him, trying to get her to straddle his lap. She did without hesitation, kissing his mouth with an eager hunger.

Finally Link felt brave enough to touch her dress again, and pulled the front down before he could give himself enough time to be nervous. He replaced the fabric with his hands, rough and calloused against her smooth skin. Oh _Goddess_ he had never imagined her skin would feel like this. **_You are_** ** _so_** ** _soft. Warm… you are not too cold?_**

 ** _No. Not cold_** _._ Zelda arched against him, groaning as he cupped and massaged her breasts. Link could pick up warmth in her mind, overwhelming arousal and burning heat from places that gave him a heady feeling to imagine. He shifted her in his lap, arranging her so her back was to his chest, pulling her closer to kiss her neck with starving touches. She began to grind herself down on his leg, and he choked a little before sliding a hand down to her hips and exploring casually. Was this alright, did she want him to- **_Please! Do not stop!_** Zelda’s whimper drove all thought from his mind. He slid his hand into the pooled cloth of her dress, between fabric and skin, doing nothing more yet than testing the waters. Zelda moaned very softly, her head rolling onto his shoulder while she lifted her hips to encourage him to keep going. Keep touching. Emboldened, his hand slipped lower and fingers rotated in her pubic hair for a moment before coming together to give a testing brush to her clit.

 **_Link…._ ** Zelda’s entire body jerked against him with a small, strangled noise of pleasure. There was no trace of fear in her, only intense desire. Link pressed his face to her throat, laughing softly in pleasure while his fingers traced her from clit to entrance. Playfully, he pinched her nipple with his free hand. She moaned again, louder this time, her fingers dragging up the fabric of his pants. Feeling his stomach lurch eagerly, Link pressed his palm to her clit and slid a finger inside of her, curling it upwards teasingly. “Nnnnn…” He loved the sound of her voice as she shifted against him, tight and hotter than he had imagined inside. 

“T-this is better than….” Zelda trailed off a little, but her thoughts did not. Link could see the images she was sharing with him now, tinted with her own personal embarrassment. Times she had lain on her bed, fingers and imagination working. The idea of it made him heady, and he slipped a second finger to join the first, curling them up inside her.

 ** _Have wanted to do this for so long-_** he knew his thoughts were jumbled, but it was hard to imagine anything existed outside of what he could feel around his fingers. **_You are- always so tense, stressed-_** bringing his lips to her shoulder, he bit softly into the pale skin. Zelda whimpered and it nearly undid him on the spot, as he sucked hard enough to leave a red mark against the flawless white. She worked with him at every movement, rocking down on his fingers and moaning eagerly when his free hand came up to cup her breast. The way she arched her back against him- _because_ of him- made emotions swirl in his head so fast he couldn’t identify them. With a single fluid movement he tugged her closer to him, arm wrapping tight around her waist while his thumb tightened in rotation to match the rhythm of her breath.

“Ahh- ahhhh- ahhh-” Little moans escaped Zelda, her eyes tightly shut. He watched her, his own eyes half lidded, keeping her pinned to him while he delivered kisses against her neck. Her legs kicked out slightly, thoughts no longer cohesive just pleasure and relaxation.

 **_I want to watch you come apart (you are always so tense.)_ ** With a grin, Link drew the memories she’d shared of herself alone in bed back to the forefront and thought teasingly. **_But maybe not_ ** **_always_ ** **_, hmm?_ **

Zelda was startled, flustered and embarrassed but didn’t manage to convey most of that around aloud around the movement of his fingers and the scrape of his teeth along her shoulder. He watched her flounder for a moment as she tried to explain. **_That was- sometimes I- (it is relieving-)_** to cut her off, he bit down harder. With a hint of embarrassment, he shared his own memories with her. Lying under a blanket, propped up near the campfire and stroking himself while she slept in her tent not far away. For a moment he felt her thoughts brush up against the memory in fascination, then he bit down harder and her mind went miraculously blank.

**_What do you want, princess?_ **

“You.” **_You. All of you._**

 ** _You can have me (once you are shaking and undone.)_** Link placed a slow, warm kiss on the back of her neck. He could feel the pressure building in her, body and mind. Her hips jerked against his hands, and her thoughts seemed more like a high wind than any sort of actual structure. He pulled her closer, the most precious thing he’d ever held, and committed every expression on her face to memory. Zelda screamed aloud and he whined, the sound delighting him utterly. For a moment everything seemed to hold still- the fire, the scream, the princess- and then she found release against his fingers. Her mind was a rush of fiery heat for a single instant as her body went bucked against him, then she collapsed with a few heavy gasps.

Link kissed her again, gentler than before, sending her his assurance before she could even begin to doubt herself. This was a good thing. He wanted this to be a good thing. Her mind was blissful, and it made his heart sore as he held her limply in his arms. Slowly her breaths became steady again while he nuzzled her through her bliss. Somewhere inside he could still feel his own desire, but it was flickering and warm like a contained bonfire. Zelda blinked as she came to a little, fingers rubbing very soft circles against her skin.

“That… was amazing…” Her jumbled feelings washed over him again. Gratitude, joy, hazy contentment. Devotion surged through him, along with a prickle of feelings he couldn’t quite put his finger on… adoration? Lo-

Zelda turned over in his lap, pulling herself fully out of her dress to push it impatiently aside and straddling him. She took his chin in her hand and firmly kissed him on the mouth. He melted into the kiss, then broke away to hungrily rake her naked body with his eyes. Her hand caught his belt buckle, tugging insistently. “I want this off.” **_I want it_ ** **_gone_ ** **_(it is in my way.)_ ** Cheeks heating up, Link fumbled to remove the belt as hastily as he could. She pulled it off , tracing his hibbones with her fingertips.

Now that the princess was focused on him, Link could feel his confident demeanor crumbling. He shifted back to press against the wall, embarrassed under her scrutiny, self-conscious and still struggling with desperate desire. Zelda felt his concern and hesitated.

 ** _I want to touch you (feel you.)_** She began, an edge of nerves that hadn’t been there before and the worry that her enthusiasm was unbecoming of her.

Link reached up to cup her cheek, eyebrows coming together in concern. **_No-_** Goddess but why were these feelings so damn **_complicated?_** Link struggled to create order where there was none. Everything was confusing about this. She wanted him and he could feel it, but- **_more unbecoming to (want me (want your servant.))_** His eyes shied away from her, but he wanted her so badly that the brush of her fingers still circling his hip bones made him dig his fingers into the dirt.

Zelda frowned for a moment, searching his face. **_This is something that I want._ ** **And then, more teasingly,** **_you would not deny your princess? (Please- I want this (I want you to want this.))_ **  

Link looked back up at her face, heart pounding, desire open and raw. **_I do. I do not think I could deny you if I tried._** He was teasing her, but there was a sincerity and conviction he could not deny. Her hands caught the edge of his pants and pulled them downwards. He leaned back against the stone, shuddering with delight. Maddeningly slow, her hands slid up his legs and wrapped delicately around the shaft with experimental pressure while she radiated fascination and excitement. Head spinning at the sensation of how soft her hands were and the mere fact that she was touching him at all, he shifted his legs and let his head loll back with a fluttery groan. Zelda pulled upwards on the shaft, long and slow, and he struggled not to buck up against her hand.

“Hhh…” he groaned a little, his hand coming up to gently brush along her side. She watched him with bright eyes, like she was drinking in his every reaction. Link felt himself prickle with self-consciousness, but whimpered helplessly at the tightening of her grip. Goddess he wanted her so badly it was becoming almost impossible to ignore. Thoughts dizzy and heated, he managed to choke out, **_please?_ **

“Yes!” Her delight was obvious and he watched her, eyes cloudy with desire and breathing uneven as his hand tightened on her side like he’d never let get go again.

 ** _Should I- where do you want me?_** He couldn’t keep the lust out of his thoughts this time. He wanted her.

“It does not matter.” **_Inside me. (Please inside me.)_** Zelda’s own lust echoed back dizzyingly as she pressed herself against him. **_Unless you do not want that-_**

 ** _I want that (definitely want that (_** ** _please._** ** _)_** Link didn’t wait. Wrapping his arms around the princess he rolled with her and pressed her gently into the blankets. Startled by his own boldness, he kissed her deeply to distract her from what he’d done. She kissed back just as hungrily, her arms sliding up around his neck and her body pressing completely to his. After a moment of bliss, he pulled back to check her face.

**_This is good? (What you want?)_ **

**_Please (_ ** **_please_ ** **_.) I want to feel all of you._ ** She kissed his neck encouragingly. “I have been taking blue nightshade regularly for a while, for monthly pain. You do not have to worry.” The implications dizzied him farther but he wasn’t going to waste time second guessing now. He lined himself up, pressing into her slowly and carefully. His mind went to chaos, an incoherent jumble of swearing and praising Zelda in every way he could imagine. Her head rolled back and hips arched up to press against him while he sank deeper, a choked scream of pleasure tearing from her mouth.

“Oh Goddess- _oh Goddess-”_ He made a low whining sound in response, breaking the kiss to press his forehead to hers. Slowly his hips joined hers, fully inside of her. There was no reason to his mind, nothing but the sensation of what was happening. After a moment he ran his hand along her arm, capturing his hand and threading her fingers with his own. He cast out with his mind through the haze, trying to confirm that she wasn’t hurt. Her own fingers clenched his hand back, lips open against his collarbone and gasping but eyes tightly shut. There was no pain in her thoughts, only a sensation of pleasure and wholeness, like a puzzle piece firmly locked into place. Fuzzy elation stirred in his gut. This was even better than he had imagined it possibly could be. He shifted slightly to adjust, pulled out a little, and sank back in very slowly.

Zelda’s thoughts were a wildfire. Pleasure swept through her as she moaned, a jumbled rush of the sensations from the places he was touching her. Overwhelmed but eager, Link repeated the movement, seeking out the best rhythm and pressing kisses to whatever parts of her he could reach. **_Princess… (Zelda.)_** Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, hips pressing slowly to meet his.

 ** _This moment is_** ** _everything_** ** _. (It does not matter- what happens.)_** For a moment through the incoherent pleasure Link could hear Zelda’s echoed fears. Fear of having failed, fear of the cold waters of the spring. Fear of the Calamity that could rise with no warning. She shoved the fears aside, kissing him deeply and losing herself again in the sensations. **_Here and now_** _._ Link agreed with her incoherently, partly because he felt it too and partly because he’d agree with anything his princess said right now. He kissed her shoulder again, thrusting slowly, grazing his teeth along her skin. Zelda whimpered with need.

 **_More Link- please, more-_ ** with a jolt of excitement, Link picked up the rhythm. His hand pressed against her hip to pin her, then dragged up to her breast, rolling it as he bent in for a kiss. He could feel her muffled shriek of pleasure against his lips. In a rough, passionate movement, he brought their joined hands up to pin her arm next to her head. The other slipped free of her breast and explored it’s way downward, thumb seeking her clit and rotating over it.

“Aaaahhhhhhh _Link_ ooohh Goddess!” Zelda’s hips bucked up to give him more access, mind wiped clean of any sensation beyond pleasure. His fingers were clumsy but he circled her with delight, hazily registering that he could feel his tension building. **_Link._** She moaned his name and it drove him wild, her nails dragging up his back to leave long red lines. The feeling was electric and he wanted more, whimpering. He was close. Struggling, he forced himself to slow a little, concerned that he shouldn’t peak before his princess did. She was building close behind him, shuddering and scraping her nails up his back again. There was a possessive curl of her mind, a sensation of wanting to leave marks. To tell the world for a moment that he was hers. Link caught the thought, floored by it, and dragging it back to the surface of their minds.

 ** _Yours? (tell_** ** _everyone?_** ** _)_** He thought, reverent, incredulous and disbelieving. How in a thousand lifetimes could he have gotten this lucky?

 ** _Mine._** Her mind whispered back to his. **_My hero_** _._ She was close, head dropping back into the blankets while she groaned helplessly. Like a boat tipping at the edge of a waterfall, Link held for a moment longer. Long enough to whimper her name before finishing. Zelda was seconds behind him, body going taunt and clenched around him while she lost herself to the pleasure. She was so close to his body it seemed like they would fuse together. Helping the closeness by wrapping his arm around her lower back, he gripped her hand tight where it rested by her head. He kissed along her neck tenderly, only half cognizant. She rested her head against his chest, exhaustion and contented relief swirling in her mind, and for a few minutes they breathed in unison.  

Zelda curled closer to Link’s chest as held himself suspended over her, not wanting to be any farther from her than this. From the travel they had done today, watching her faint in the water, _this,_ and the fact that his pants were still around his ankles, he had no desire to move. She leaned up slightly and pressed her lips to his, radiating gratitude and affection.

Now nerves were starting to clench in his stomach again. He received her kiss, head starting to clear, and pulled carefully back. **_This is good? (This is what you wanted?)_** He shifted a little, starting to become uncomfortable holding himself over her. After a moment she sat up, pressing to  him and forcing him to sit back.

“Yes… this was good. Is good. I… wanted this for a long time.” Zelda’s voice was low and husky from the moaning, and even in his spent haze it sent a shiver along his spine. He scrambled back into a sitting position, abruptly embarrassed at his own dishevelment and letting his eyes flicker to the fire.

 ** _Good. Me too._** Zelda sat comfortably, watching the embers glow and fade and glancing at him fondly. **_The fire is warm, but…_** Link smiled at her, teasing. **_We would not want you to be cold again._** She laughed and pulled herself upright slowly, wandering to the bags and pulling on the looser, more comfortable clothes she kept for sleeping. After working his pants back on, he leaned back and watched her dress while letting his thoughts wander. She was _so_ beautiful that feelings of discomfort and embarrassment began to twist in his guts. She was so pure. So pristine. Something he should not- should not have- touched with his dirty hands- he froze when he caught the princess’s gaze fixed on him.

“Is… that how you see me?” She murmured, reaching out very slowly to pass him his shirt. His ears lowered, cheeks red with embarrassment.

 ** _I’m- sorry?_** Except for that, he wasn’t. Not in the slightest. She kissed his cheek quietly and turned away to finish lacing up her clothes.

 **_Do not be. Your dedication to the Goddess (who is not me) is commendable._ ** He could sense it in her again, the most common feeling he ever found in her mind. Shame. Shame because of the Goddess, shame because of the damn powers, shame because she knew she would always disappoint him-  he reached out and snatched her wrist, hand tightening and thoughts earnest.

 ** _You could not disappoint me._** She was starting him in the face now, eyes locked with his own, wide and caught on his every word. He wasn’t sure how to phrase what he wanted to say and froze for a moment, but the way she watched him like nothing else mattered was enough for him to pull the words together. **_I am_** ** _yours_** ** _(_** ** _and_** ** _the Goddess's (but it does not make me not_** ** _yours._** ** _))_** Thoughts of her rushed through him, distinct from the feelings he had for anything involved with being the Hero. Instead he focused on the way her hair looked through the sunlight, the resolve in her face as she argued down a resistant general. Her defiant determination and tenacity in seeking the Goddess's wisdom. The way she scoffed at his jokes and teased him whenever she got a chance. Zelda looked overwhelmed and choked with emotion, sitting down slowly without pulling out of his grip. He forced himself to keep explaining. **_I did not- I know that everything is complicated but I need you to understand- (I did not do this to-))_** How could he explain. This was about her. His Zelda. Not because he had wanted to have sex with the Goddess.

“...I know.” Her lips met his, slow and gentle and releasing him of his fears. A smile slowly spread across her pink lips. “Would you like to hold me?”

 _Yes._ Link gathered her into his arms, reaching to run his fingers gently through her hair. **_You should sleep._ **

**_I am not tired. (If I sleep, this will be over.)_** Link chuckled patiently. It was an argument they’d had many times before. Zelda’s fear of the future consumed her at night.

 ** _You are always so resistant to napping._** He brushed his nose indulgently against her neck, teasing. **_Maybe you have not been worn out enough-_** nipping her neck ever so slightly. She tensed and blushed.

“I know when I am tired! You do not have to take care of me!” But as always, she was pleased that he was.

 **_I know that, princess._ ** He drew the blankets close around them, despite her soft protests. She was so precious, so perfect. He nuzzled in, arms circling to hold her close. Again he felt the fear worming through her mind and spoke up very hesitantly. **_Do you… want to talk about it? (What are you afraid of?)_ **

“I…. the Calamity, I suppose.” She was lying, and they both knew it. Her real fears flashed through her. Her father, her reputation. A shared memory between them, the king shouting at her on the stone wall of the castle. Calling her a failure, queen to a throne of nothing. Anger burned low in Link’s gut. Zelda’s father was his king, and that brought a heavy weight of authority with it, but sometimes when he made snide comments to his daughter where anyone in the court could hear Link had to restrain himself from snapping.

**_Afraid of tomorrow. I know you fear his opinion of you, but you should not._ **

“Why should I not? It is not… wrong."

On this, Link was firm. **_It is wrong._**

His princess’s voice was mournful, thick with tears that made his heart clench. “But I am powerless. Useless. When the Calamity returns-” **_Everyone will die because of me._ **

Link cupped her cheek, faith in her absolute. **_I Know who you are. (I have Known you Before.) You are neither of those things._ ** He pressed soft kisses into her sweet smelling hair while she sniffled, overwhelmed by his belief. He held her tighter, her anchor, her strong foundation, while she clung to the front of his shirt and let herself be comforted by his touch. After a while, she slowly began to drift into sleep, and he managed to find words once more, firm in his conviction of these words. **_Don’t fear tomorrow, Princess. I will be there with you. We will not let the Calamity befall Hyrule._ **

So Zelda slept through the night of her eighteenth birthday in a small cave outside of the Spring of Wisdom, wrapped in the arms of her Champion and without a fear in the world.  



End file.
